In Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, a “Statement of Intent” document was signed. The significance of this document lies in the fact that it represents a “strong and joint declaration of will” with the participation of most countries in the region, as well as the attendance of Western leaders.
The document bears the signatures of U.S. President Donald Trump, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. These signatures carry the potential to pave the way for diplomatic progress aimed at bringing lasting peace.
Erdoğan, after stating that “it would be wrong to regard the agreement as a document that solves the Palestinian issue,” once again emphasized that the only solution lies in “the establishment of an independent, sovereign and territorially contiguous Palestinian state, with East Jerusalem as its capital, based on the 1967 borders.”
The declaration sets out a general framework. It is not an agreement text that produces a lasting solution to the Israeli question. However, it is important in terms of creating pressure for the smooth advancement of the second and third phases of the Gaza Plan and for Israel to keep its promises.
The meeting held at the United Nations between Trump and Arab and Muslim countries for the solution of the Palestinian question was a critical threshold in reaching a cease-fire. The summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, with the participation of key Western leaders, represents a new threshold. This summit is of great importance for maintaining the cease-fire and expanding it toward lasting peace.
Trump’s embrace of this declaration, investing personal meaning into the process, and gaining influence over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu must also be evaluated in this context. It is known that Trump does not share Netanyahu’s views on many issues. Yet he continues to extend full support to Israel. In this sense, Trump’s popularity in Israeli public opinion is higher than that of the current administration. By saying to Israeli society, “Netanyahu has isolated Israel; I am the one producing the right policies,” Trump is also sending an indirect message. This, in turn, is a tactic developed by Trump to ease the pressure exerted by the lobbies.
Türkiye is one of the key actors in this process. Erdoğan’s weight before and during the summit demonstrated this once again. Türkiye played a decisive role both in shaping the final version of the text and in preventing Netanyahu’s participation in the summit. The international community and regional countries are aware of this reality.
Looking only at the analyses produced on Türkiye in the last few weeks is enough in this regard. The focus of the commentary is on Türkiye’s role as a “founder of order in the region and a contributor to stability.” At the same time, Türkiye’s efforts are also appreciated for bringing the two-state solution onto humanity’s shared agenda to this degree for the first time in many years.
In the next phase, cooperation among regional countries for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state will deepen further. Islamic countries will increasingly place the need for a regional security architecture on their agendas. It is known that multilateral organizations such as the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) or the Arab League have become increasingly ineffective with each new test. Therefore, countries are now aware of the need for narrower but more effective and deterrent alliances.
